Category Archives: Fabric

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Just last week, Pauline brought in a whole line of “gauze-like” cottons into the store. The series of bolts are called “Color Basic” by Lecien. This lightweight cotton is going to be wonderful this summer! So many ideas bounced in our heads for using this fabric and then we decided to make a simple one piece quilt top using this new fabric. It’s amazing what we think of when the boss is away in Alberta at a quilt show! Linda cut us one metre of the dots for the top and one metre of yummy Henry Glass flannel for the backing.

To make the quilt we simply squared up the two pieces to the exact same size and put them right sides together and sewed all around the edge leaving an opening to turn it out. But wait a second… what if we “rounded the corners” on this super easy quilt? Why not?!Using a dinner plate from my kitchen drawer, I was able to make a nice rounded corner to sew around. Just draw a line with a marking pen, snip off the excess and head off to the sewing machine. I was first inspired by a civil war quilt I saw in a book that sported rounded corners.

Rounded corners on a regular quilt that needs binding will require bias binding to be applied. But that is easy to make. Refer to our post from a few weeks ago on “continuous bias binding“.

Please let us know if this inspires you at all to try rounding the corners on your quilt project. We love seeing your comments.

Our shop is brimming with bolts and bolts of Batik Handpaints and Cantik Batiks right now. We
have lots of bolts on both levels of the store as well as kits and precuts. We have so many that we often think we are going to have to hang them from the ceiling pretty soon!

It’s easy to fall in love with the richness of the colours used in batiks. The colours range from tone on tone “Flavours” and “Watercolors” to multi-coloured Handpaints. We still have lots of bolts of regular printed cotton on bolts in the store as well. So many possibilities and yet there seems to be a myth out there in the quilt world. The myth is this (and I hear it almost every week) “You cannot mix batiks and printed cottons into one project!” What? Where has this come from? No one seems to know, but we want to bust that myth and suggest that YES, you can combine batiks (or not) with other printed cottons!

Some two hundred years ago when quilt making was in the early stages, ladies pieced and quilted with silks, wools and drapery fabrics. They used whatever they would get a hold of. In the last few decades we have seen batiks and printed cottons used and designed together by a few designers such as Editya Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts and Pat Sloan who designs for Moda Fabrics. We have sold several kits that have both types of fabrics in them. Batiks and quilting cottons marry together beautifully in a project, use them alone or in combination with traditional fabrics for a fantastic effect! An excellent example is the sampler quilt pictured below.

1. Microtex Sewing Machine Needle– either a 80/12 or 90/14 size of Microtex needles we get from Schmetz have a very slim acute point. Batiks have a dense thread count. This very thin acute point creates beautiful stitches for quilt piecing. A 50 weight thread is good for piecing batiks.

2. Right Side or Wrong Side? – Batiks are almost reversible! It’s hard to tell right side or wrong side? In the batik-making process, the wax that creates the design sinks into the fabric. As a result, both sides of the fabric show a clear image after dyeing, and it is often hard to tell a difference between the right and wrong side of the fabric. When both sides are virtually identical, take your pick; I choose the right side to be where the design is clearer with less fuzzy edges.

3. Densely Woven – Batiks don’t fray as much when handled and pieces cut on the bias hardly stretch at all. These fabrics have a smooth texture that makes them easier to press and they’ll give you sharp, crisp points.Batiks press like a dream. Pressing seams to one side or open with a batik fabric is a pleasure because they hold their shape where you set your iron.

4. Prewash? – You may want to prewash your batiks before cutting and quilting with them, it’s up to you. They will soften up with washing.

One of several Batik fabric shelves in the store

Hopefully we’ve inspired you to sew with batiks if you’ve been apprehensive. You’ll be so happy you did!

This is a great thing of course. Who doesn’t want more fabric selection? Most of the staff are thrilled to see all the newness whereas as one or two are afraid to even have a peek out of fear of no self control.

The fabric below is in the building but not on the sales floor yet. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get it all processed for you.

After that we await the arrival of these skids of fabric…

You would think there are zero downsides to this but there is one….figuring out where we are going to put it all?

Needless to say if you don’t see many blog post in the coming weeks it’s because I’m busy helping to get all these fabrics ready for you.

We have a new quilt kit in the store. Bear Paw is not your traditional bear paw pattern. Instead this is a panel quilt featuring sweet bears enjoying honey. A detailed pieced inner border adds interest to the design of this large lap size quilt.

The panel and fabrics are from the Bear Paws fabric collection designed by Cheryl Haynes for Benartex. If you want to make something other than the quilt we are offering we have the yadage available as well…

These chubby bears are climbing forest trees and enjoying their honey pots. The palette is irresistible too: rich woodsy colors of burgundy, red, deep green, and gold. Cheryl’s coordinates – tiny beehives, trees, mini bears, and some extraordinary woven looks – are sure to become classics. Sew charming, you won’t be able to keep your bear paws off this collection!

With the approaching celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday next year there are some very inspirational Canadian related patterns, quilts and fabrics being showcased in honour of the special event.

Canadian designer Grace Noel has designed a new fabric line, With Glowing Hearts which will be in stores this Winter. It is produced by Moda and will be distributed by Trend-Tex fabrics.

This exciting new line will be the the required fabric for a Trend-Tex Quilt Challenge 2017.The fabric features iconic Canadian symbols such as Canadian Geese, beavers, hockey sticks and provincial flowers. Of course this collection wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t showcase a maple leaf.